Ready for snack time? Eating boogers may actually be good for your health: scientist

Queen Elizabeth II indulges in a royal pick-me-up. (Indigo/Getty Images)

Time to get digging!

A Canadian biochemistry professor wants to examine the idea that picking and eating your own boogers might actually be good for your health.

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Children are usually scolded for indulging in this socially taboo practice, but Scott Napper, an associate professor at the University of Saskatchewan, is telling parents to hold on to their judgment. The scientist says that exposing the body to the germs caught inside mucus might help build immunity.

Scott Napper came up with the idea during a lecture on molecules in mucus. His class looked bored and the award-winning teacher wanted to find a way to get them interested in science. (saskatoon.ctvnews.ca)

"It might serve as almost a natural vaccination, if you will," Napper told CTV.

"Simply picking your nose and wiping it away, or blowing your nose, you might be robbing it of that opportunity."

The associate professor of biochemistry is suggesting that exposure to mucus may help strengthen the body’s immune system. (saskatoon.ctvnews.ca)

The study is still in its initial stages. Napper's plan is to conduct an experiment where a molecule is inserted into people's nostrils. Half the participants would be told to excavate and eat up any treasures they may find. The other half would be asked to refrain. Then, the scientist would measure the body's reaction to the molecule and the mucus.

But Napper is finding that this practice is snot for everybody.

David Beckham appears to be going in for the kill. (Tony Quinn/MLS via Getty Images)

"I think the challenge would be getting volunteers to participate in this experiment," he told the Canadian Press. "Especially if you didn't know which group you were going to fall into."

Napper, a two-time recipient of his university's teaching excellence award, says his ultimate goal is to prove to his class that science can be fun and engaging.

The University of Saskatchewan researcher says finding volunteers for his experiment might be a challenge. (Alamy)

"If I can teach you one thing that you're going to tell somebody else about outside the scope of this class, then I've prompted you to think a little bit, to question these things," he said. "And I think with this example, I probably succeeded in that."

But his wife is hoping that this booger business is one lesson he won't be teaching his own children.

Parents usually scold kids for their booger-eating habits. But if Napper is right, perhaps this kid is onto something. (saskatoon.ctvnews.ca)

"Yeah, she's of a different opinion," Napper told CTV. "She's more towards training them to be little ladies."